The South African Communist Party (SACP) yesterday upped the ante in the tripartite alliance battle over Jacob Zuma by calling for a wider investigation into allegations of political conspiracy.

This was in response to last Friday’s call by President Thabo Mbeki for the alliance to set up a commission to investigate allegations that Zuma was the victim of a right-wing political plot engineered by Mbeki.

SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said Mbeki’s proposed commission would work only if it included the “source” of all allegations — including those made by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) that the SACP and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) was leading an “ultra-left” plot to use SA as the launch pad for a global socialist revolution.

“If we are to investigate this, you have to go into a comprehensive discussion on the basis of the perceptions, including that SA is the launching pad for an ultra-left project,” Nzimande said.

He said Mbeki’s suggested commission could have both positive and negative spin-offs for the embattled alliance.“On the positive side it could deal with deeply held perceptions and find a process to deal with them. On the negative side the allegations stem from a deep-seated political problem that can’t be managed by a technical, quasilegal process.”

Nzimande said there should be a “comprehensive political discussion” instead, to focus on the “sources” of perceptions that Zuma was being persecuted. The discussion should also include accusations that have been made by senior ANC leaders of an “ultra-left” plot.

Nzimande’s call could suggest that the ANC’s partners want to shift the onus back towards Mbeki, who has often led attacks against the alliance’s left wing.

Mbeki led the charge against Cosatu and the SACP at the ANC’s September 2002 special policy conference and the national conference that followed. He invited those who pursued a “socialist agenda” to leave the ANC, which, he said, had never been a socialist movement.

Analysts said Mbeki’s latest move in his battle with his allies would further divide the alliance.

“A large part of the pro-Zuma sentiment comes from people angry about presidential unilateralism. That anger won’t be dealt with if the president imposes a commission of enquiry,” said Steven Friedman of the Centre for Policy Studies.

Friedman said alliance members who believed that Mbeki had manipulated the judiciary to score points against Zuma would not trust a party commission under the control of Mbeki.

Analyst Aubrey Matshiqi echoed Friedman’s sentiments. He said Mbeki had sidestepped the alliance and gone public with his commission call in order to gain political advantage over alliance leaders.

Both the SACP and Cosatu have yet to respond formally to Mbeki’s dramatic proposal, which was tabled after last week’s alliance crisis talks had adjourned. Mbeki later surprised his allies by publishing the suggestion in his online letter to ANC members last Friday.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said that the issue would be discussed at tomorrow’s special central executive committee meeting.

With acknowledgements to Vukani Mde, Karima Brown and the Business Day.